Cat owners reminded of importance of microchipping

Deborah Punshon

National charity Blue Cross has reminded cat owners to microchip their pets now or risk losing them forever if they stray.

Out of the 5760 cats admitted into the charity’s rehoming centres and hospitals across the country in the past year, 78 per cent were not microchipped.

The charity, dedicated to helping sick, injured and homeless pets, sees all too often how heart-breaking it can be when a beloved pet goes missing without a microchip or with an out-of-date microchip.

Many of the cats brought in to Blue Cross are believed to be stray; although sometimes in a good, healthy condition meaning they’re likely to be a family pet who has gone for a wander.

Caroline Reay, clinical lead at Blue Cross said: “Particularly in the summer months, with cats going out for longer and wandering further, there is a higher risk of straying and of accidents. This is why it’s so important to microchip your cat; even if the cat is an indoor cat as there is still risk of them escaping – in fact, indoor cats are more at risk of getting lost if they do escape. So please, be safe and chip your cats.”

Often un-microchipped stray cats are pets who, after a week of being kept a rehoming centre, end up needing to be rehomed as there is no way of contacting the original owners.

Blue Cross says it has also seen happy cases of reunions after long periods of time because the cat had been microchipped; one cat managed to stray 20 miles away from his home, but thankfully his microchip details were up-to-date, so he was able to be returned to his worried family.

For more information on microchipping, or to donate to help give back to pets in the care of Blue Cross please visit https://www.bluecross.org.uk